


The Sweet Coffee On His Lips

by paulmcmuffin



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, But there's a reason for it, First Kiss, Fluff, I promise, M/M, Rain, Starbucks, also, anyway i hope it's a little different from your general coffee shop aus, apparently i'm continuing the saga of writing naegami fics based around drinks, byakuya is a softie in this, byakuya is ooc but there's a reason for it, byakuya is the barista, every ship deserves a coffee shop au so i wrote one for naegami, i worked hard on this :(, like a literal softie, makoto is also a college student, makoto is the customer, please, you've read this multiple times i know but it's fun so you should try it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:29:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25752874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paulmcmuffin/pseuds/paulmcmuffin
Summary: Makoto Naegi doesn't usually go to Starbucks. But when he does, he finds there the most beautiful human being he'd ever seen: the barista, Byakuya Togami.
Relationships: Naegi Makoto/Togami Byakuya
Comments: 4
Kudos: 101





	The Sweet Coffee On His Lips

**Author's Note:**

> hello my dear readers! so, here's the au i told you i was working on! i know i know, a coffee shop au, how original. but please, hear me out. i found this one instagram post (https://www.instagram.com/p/CDChufHgA73/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link), and i just couldn't let the thought of writing a fic based on it go. so, here it is!
> 
> i have only visited a starbucks once in my entire life, so i know absolutely nothing about it. i had to keep checking the drinks and the names every five minutes. what a pain in the ass. 
> 
> oh and disclaimer: byakuya is VERY ooc in this one, but there IS a reason for it that is NOT me being lazy!!
> 
> hope you'll like this one! <3

Makoto Naegi had just finished his studying for the day and was just about to exist the college building, but then he saw huge dark clouds on the sky. It was about to rain probably very heavily soon. Makoto sighed and rubbed his forehead. He didn’t want to walk home in a weather like that, since his apartment was pretty far away from the campus. He couldn’t stay in the school building, either, because the doors were about to be closed. It was pretty late already. Makoto tried to come up with a way to solve the problem, and then it suddenly came to him.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and searched for the opening hours of that one Starbucks he always walked past by when going home. He had never tried the place: it looked way too popular for the small brunette who sometimes felt anxious around strangers. He had preferred other, smaller places when going for coffee, but they were too far away. There was no other choice than just go to the Starbucks.

_Thank god it’s open._

Makoto threw his back bag on his shoulder and opened the huge doors of the collage building. By the time he had reached the park of the campus, it was already pouring rain. The boy didn’t have an umbrella or a raincoat with him and he was very easy to catch a cold, so he decided to run. He ran through the campus to the road that lead to the centrum of the town he lived in. If he remembered correctly, the Starbucks was only a few blocks away from his college.

Makoto couldn’t remember the last time it had rained like this. The weather had been weirdly hot lately, though, so maybe that was the reason for such a storm-like rain. He was already soaking wet, as he neared the block the Starbucks was in. He could feel his nose running.

_No, I can’t fall ill now. I have those important exams next week!_

Finally, Makoto reached the coffee house. He stopped by the door to even out his breathing. He took a look at his own reflection on the glass door and saw that his hair was dripping water on his face. He looked miserable. He sincerely hoped that none of his friends or other acquaintances wouldn’t be there to see him like that. It would have been so embarrassing.

He opened the door to the coffee house. Like he had anticipated, it was packed full. Makoto felt a small lump and anxiety welling up in his stomach as he tried to find a place to sit in. He didn’t want to go sit with some random people, but there didn’t seem to be any other spots left. Well, apart from the ones right by the barista bench, but Makoto didn’t think they would let him stay there that long.

“It’s not forbidden to sit by the bench, you know”, Makoto suddenly heard someone talking by the coffee machines. He turned to look at that someone and stopped right on his track. The sight that was in front of his eyes knocked all the air from his lungs.

_Good god, who is that and how is he so beautiful?!_

The barista that was now looking directly at Makoto had gorgeous blonde hair with a strand of it covering the boy’s beautiful face. He had a pair of icy-blue eyes that seemingly tried to see right through Makoto’s soul. White-framed eyeglasses that looked more expensive than anything Makoto had ever owned. And oh god, how fucking tall even was the guy?? As Makoto was looking at him, he had to bend his neck so that the eye contact would be proper. The height difference between them had to be at least 20 centimeters.

“Well, are you going to sit here or not? You’re kind of blocking the way of other customers”, the barista said with a sly smirk on his lips and nodded at the people behind Makoto. The brunette felt his cheeks heating up as he realized how stupidly long he had been staring at the other boy. But he just couldn’t help it: the blonde was one of the prettiest things he had ever laid his eyes upon. Makoto chuckled slightly and took a seat right in front of the barista, who was still looking at him with that smirk playing on his lips. Makoto smiled back at him and began fumbling with his hands. Why was he so nervous? The other boy was just some barista whose name he didn’t even know! What was so special about him?

“Did you come here to order something or are you just going to sit there staring at me?” the barista said and turned over to the coffee machines. Makoto felt himself blush heavily.

_Oh my god what is this? Is he flirting with me? Or am I reading into it too much?? Someone help me??_

“Uhh… I, uh– Yeah, I did come here to order something, heh. Let me see…” Makoto had never been to Starbucks before, so he knew absolutely nothing about the fancy drinks everyone else seemed to enjoy. What he did know about his own taste of coffee, though, was that he loved iced coffee. It was his favorite, regardless of the place. After picking out the drink, there was the problem of the weird sizes. Makoto was almost certain the sizes were written in Italian, but he didn’t know any Italian, so he just went with his gut feeling.

“I’d like one iced coffee, Venti, please.” The gorgeous blonde behind the bench smiled at him and wrote his order down.

“Coming right at you, dear.”

“W-what??”

“Nothing, I just thought messing with you would be fun.” The barista laughed and turned around once again to make the beverage. Makoto was blushing insanely at this point, and he felt his palms starting to sweat. The boy had clearly noticed the way Makoto had been staring at him and what it possibly meant. The brunette cursed himself for being such an open book to literally everyone. He also blamed his tendency to fall for almost every beautiful person ever. But this blonde boy… Nobody in this whole world could be prettier than him, Makoto was sure of that.

As Makoto was daydreaming, the barista was finished with the drink and offered it to the brunette, who didn’t notice that he was being spoken to.

“Ahem, here’s your stupid coffee”, the barista spoke a little bit louder, and then Makoto realized he was supposed to pay. He took a look at the iced coffee in front of him. It looked way bigger than he’d anticipated. Then, he compared his cup to the ones at display and noticed something very odd.

“Uhh… I ordered a Venti, but this is a Trenta. Maybe you should switch them so that you won’t get into trouble for not following the order”, Makoto said. He looked embarrassed because he’d had to correct such a skilled barista. The other boy just kept looking at him until he quirked one of his eyebrows up. He looked right at Makoto in his eyes and said: “I decide what you drink now.”

_Huh??_

Makoto kept staring at the blonde in the eyes as he offered his credit card to him. Once the payment was done, the barista gave Makoto the receipt that only had the Venti on it.

“Why didn’t I pay for the full size?”

“Like I said, I decide what you _drink_ now; that doesn’t mean I decide what you order”, the blonde answered and smirked once again. Makoto was sure he was pretty fucking red at this point. He was just about to thank the boy, when he was interrupted.

“I hope to see you here again soon. Oh, and by the way, my name’s Byakuya Togami. What’s yours?”

“Uhh… M-Makoto Naegi.”

“Pleased to meet you, Naegi”, the barista that Makoto decided to start calling Togami-kun answered and smiled in that one specific way where the smile wasn’t really forming on the lips; rather, it was in the smiler’s eyes.

_What a gorgeous face. I could just stare at him all day._

“You can, of course, just sit there and stare at me all day, if you want. I do have other customers, though, so I can’t keep talking with you. See you soon, Naegi!” Togami said like he was able to read Makoto’s thoughts just from the brunette’s face. Then, he turned around and began working on other orders. So, Makoto was left there with his enormous iced coffee and feeling totally flustered and hopelessly smitten.

_I hope it will rain tomorrow as well._

* * *

Makoto had always been a bit luckier than the rest. So, this time too luck was on his side. The same kind of rainfall happened the day after just before Makoto’s last lecture was about to end. He kept looking out the window just to check that the rain hadn’t stopped yet. He wanted to go out in the rain so that he could stop at the Starbucks along the way home.

Makoto hadn’t been able to get the blonde barista out of his head for the whole day. Byakuya Togami, that was his name. It sounded like the name of some rich family’s heir or something. Makoto wondered why someone like Togami was working at a random Starbucks. Maybe he didn’t want to follow his father’s footsteps? Maybe his dreams were of much smaller kind? Makoto wanted to know everything about the gorgeous blonde by the bench. That’s why he needed every excuse possible to go to that Starbucks. He didn’t want the boy to suspect anything, of course not.

Finally, the lecture ended, and Makoto took all of his things and ran straight to the lobby of the building. He packed his back bag and stepped out into the pouring rain. This time, the falling water on his hair and skin felt comforting. It felt like home. Maybe that was just because Makoto knew what would come out of the rain eventually. He started running again.

* * *

If possible, the Starbucks was even fuller this time than the day before. It was pretty hard to move since there were people standing everywhere. Evidently, others had also thought about spending the rainy day in a cozy coffee shop. Though, Makoto was pretty sure that their motives had to be a little bit different than his.

Oh, and there his motive was, smiling at him from the bench.

“Glad to see you came back!” Togami yelled over the constant noise and gestured Makoto to come sit in the chair right in front of him. Makoto could already feel his face heating up just because Togami had actually remembered him and wanted him sitting near him.

_Could it be that he’s interested in me in some way?_

The brunette shook his head and tried to calm himself down. He was known for getting ahead of things, but this was one he really shouldn’t try messing with. He took a few calming breaths and made his way through the mass of customers to the front of the barista bench and took a seat right where he’d been the day before. Togami noticed Makoto had come as he’d suggested and smiled quickly at the boy. He was clearly in the middle of preparing a whole bunch of beverages for some big group. Makoto kept looking at the taller boy and saw that he was clearly in need of some kind of help. Weren’t there anyone else working on this shift than him? How could that even be? Makoto once again cursed himself, this time for not taking that one simple barista class he’d been offered years ago. In a situation like this, it would’ve really been helpful.

Maybe coming around today wasn’t that good of an idea.

Makoto got up from the chair. He thought it would be better to just come back later when it wasn’t such a busy time of the day. He turned toward the door and heard someone yell out his name.

“Naegi!”

Makoto turned around just to see Togami looking at his general direction with a worried look on his pretty face. Once he spotted the brunette, he left the bench shortly and came up to the boy. Then Makoto finally realized how tall the blonde really was, and he was in literal awe.

“Please, don’t go. I know that it’s very hectic right now, but please, stay at least so that I can make you something”, Togami almost begged Makoto. He had grabbed the shorter boy’s arm, but as soon as the other noticed it, he let go. Makoto was blushing and chuckling. He hadn’t thought the gorgeous-looking barista with the most expensive eyeglasses ever could act like such a softie. How funny.

“Okay, Togami-kun. I will stay, but just for you”, Makoto answered while laughing. The color on his cheeks gave him away, though. Togami smiled at the boy and took a hold of his sleeve and pulled him to the bench again. He himself went back to work. For a good while Makoto just spent looking at Togami and the way he used the machines, mixed the drinks and smiled to all of the customers. The swift movements of his pretty hands were almost mesmerizing. How could someone make something so simple look so beautiful?

After Togami was done with the huge amount of orders and that one big group had left the coffee house, he came up to Makoto with a smile on his face. He looked kind of sweaty but still prettier than every other person Makoto had ever seen. He could feel his heart beating a little faster as Togami looked at him straight in his eyes.

“Well, Naegi. What do you want this time?” The words weren’t the most pleasant ones, but it didn’t really bother Makoto, because the blonde had this really warm look on his face, the kind of look you make when you’re looking at someone you really care a lot about. It made the brunette feel like the other somehow did care about him even though they had just met. It made no sense, but it made Makoto happy, so whatever.

“Uhh, well… I’d like one of those coffee Frappuccinos or something like that. Size Grande this time, please”, Makoto placed his order with uncertainty. The way Togami was looking at him was making him weak in the knees, and his words weren’t that confident either. The blonde behind the bench nodded and began working on Makoto’s order. Since the noise of the other customers had toned down, they began talking again.

“So, why did you decide to come back here? Was it just because I asked? Do you, by any chance, want my phone number or something?” Togami questioned while not facing Makoto, who thanked him for that, because the brunette’s face was burning now. He couldn’t really tell the other boy the truth, because he himself hadn’t even come to terms with it. So, he just kept lying to himself and the other as well.

“No, that’s not it. It’s just that the weather is so horrible today and my place is pretty far away from the college, so I came here to wait for the rain to stop.”

Togami chuckled slightly. He was almost done with Makoto’s drink, so he turned around to face the other. “Whatever you say, honey.”

_Huh?????_

Makoto was sweating furiously now. Why was the gorgeous blonde calling him with such adorable pet names??

“Oh my god, you’re so fun to fool with!” Togami exclaimed and burst into a laughter. Makoto was really embarrassed at this point. Why did he always take Togami’s words seriously whenever he said something like that? Apparently, it was really difficult for him to ignore the fact that such a gorgeous boy was calling him with that kind of nicknames even though it was all a joke. That was kind of weird.

“Anyway, here’s your coffee”, Togami finally said and passed the drink to Makoto, who paid for it silently. Then, he took a look at the drink. There was something wrong with it.

“Uhh, Togami-kun, I– I ordered a coffee Frappuccino, Grande. This is clearly something else, and it’s bigger!” The brunette was very confused and looked at the barista in the eyes, who was still smiling.

“Like I told you, I decide what you drink now. It’s a Caffé Vanilla Frappuccino, Venti. I thought you’d like it. Vanilla suits you somehow, I can already tell that.” Togami smirked at Makoto, held the gaze a bit longer than was appropriate to do with a customer and then turned around to clean the coffee machines. Makoto was left there with his pretty-looking coffee and his face burning once again. He kept looking at Togami’s general direction and took a long sip at the drink. It tasted wonderful. Absolutely amazing. Somehow, the blonde had known exactly what kind of flavors Makoto would like.

“You like it, don’t you?” Togami asked suddenly as he caught the brunette staring at him. Makoto coughed a little in surprise.

“Y-yeah, I love it! How’d you know I’d like this?”

“I just have those strange gut feelings when it comes to people and their tastes in coffee”, the blonde explained and continued wiping the bench. “I can’t really pinpoint it, but sometimes, I just get these very strong intuitive thoughts that this person would absolutely love that kind of coffee. It’s weird. Maybe it’s just because I’ve been here for so long. I should really think about changing to a different kind of job”, he continues and laughed a little. Makoto shook his head.

“No, no, you really shouldn’t! You’re really good at what you do. If you really like it here, you should definitely keep doing it.”

“Thank you, Naegi. I wish my father would agree on that.” Suddenly, Togami looked sad and kind of embarrassed. He seemed to be thinking about something very intently, since he had stopped wiping the bench.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, ah– I’ll tell you some other time. I hope to see you here soon, Naegi”, Togami brushed the conversation away and smiled at the other boy. Makoto really hoped he would keep his promise and tell him more about whatever it had been he’d been thinking about.

_Hopefully it will rain tomorrow as well._

* * *

If Makoto Naegi had had some kind of talent, it would probably have been being exceptionally lucky. For the third day, it was raining. This time, it lasted the whole day without any breaks. So, right from the morning, the sky was pouring down water, and Makoto had to walk to the campus. Luckily, the lectures didn’t start before 10 am, so Makoto had a good while to think for a way to get to the campus without getting all soaked up. As he was eating his breakfast, it came to him suddenly.

_The Starbucks should already be open._

The brunette decided to make sure he was right and pulled his phone out of his pocket. As he typed in the Google search bar the location of the coffee shop and ‘opening hours’, he stuffed the last bite of the toast in his mouth. After hitting ‘Enter’, Makoto was greeted with the most satisfying result.

**Open from 7 am to 9 pm.**

Makoto smiled at his phone, when he started remembering the conversation he’d had with the barista earlier. Byakuya Togami; that blonde boy had sure sparked Makoto’s interest a while ago already. The mere thought of him made Makoto blush a little. He’d been wondering for the past few days why he felt like he did about the other boy. It was not like Makoto to have crushes on anybody, let alone some hot blonde guys.

_Hot?_

Even though he lived alone and there was nobody visiting him at the moment, Makoto hid his burning face in his hands. Why had he thought of such a word to describe Togami all of a sudden? It’s not like it was wrong to say that the blonde was… _good-looking_ in that sense, but had Makoto been paying attention to it so much that the idea had turned into the most clichéd adjective ever in his mind?

Oh boy, had the barista messed with Makoto’s head big time.

_And all I wanted was a shelter from the rain._

Makoto had been thinking about Togami and the Starbucks way longer than he should have, and it was already pretty late. He glanced at the watch on his wrist and gasped slightly. If he really wanted to be able to visit the coffee shop before the lecture, he’d have to get going now. Like, literally now. Makoto packed all of his things as quickly as he could, took a last sip of the shitty coffee he’d made for himself and stormed out of his apartment and the building to the rainy streets. He could already taste the coffee Togami would make him this morning: something very sweet with a little hint of bitterness. Much like the barista’s personality, probably. Somehow, Makoto could sense that.

The rain was pretty heavy as the short boy ran past at least 10 blocks. He was very thankful that he’d gotten an apartment as close as this, but that didn’t mean that the campus was close to his home. Nevertheless, the situation could always be worse; that’s what he always thought to himself, being the great optimist that he was.

By the time he’d reached the Starbucks, Makoto was completely drenched. The weather really was shitty that day, huh. Before opening the door, Makoto took a look at himself in the window and tried to do something about his pathetic appearance – in vain.

_Togami-kun wouldn’t probably want to be anything more than friends with me anyway because I always look like pure garbage when we meet._

That thought made the brunette more depressed than it probably should have. At least, if we’re still holding on to the assumption that Makoto only wanted to be friends with the barista and only visited the coffee shop because of the rain. Nevertheless, the brunette stepped inside the coffee shop, hoping that Togami would be there, with his beautiful smile and shiny blonde hair, greeting Makoto again and making him something very delicious to start this day with. Makoto had always been one to daydream a lot, but ever since he’d met with the blonde barista, the habit had gotten out of hand. So, as he was opening the door to the Starbucks and thinking of the way Togami had been looking at him the previous day, he collided with the door frame and made a loud groaning noise.

_Shit shit shit–_

Makoto stumbled into the coffee shop and almost tripped over himself. He was so embarrassed that his face was glowing with red tint on his cheeks.

“You should be glad you’re the only one here this morning, Naegi.”

Makoto’s head shot up, when he heard a rather familiar voice speaking. Togami was standing behind the barista bench, cleaning cups and smiling at the brunette. He was right: there was no one else present than the two of them.

“H-hi, Togami-kun”, Makoto stuttered a little, as he approached the bench and took a seat in front of the blonde, who looked even more radiant than before. Togami finished with the cups and leaned against the bench to make a firm eye contact with his only customer. There was a lopsided smirk on his lips.

“Good morning to you, too. Why are you here this early, if I may ask?”

Makoto chuckled a little and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, you see, it’s raining the whole day, and my lectures start at 10 am. I didn’t want to get wet right before those and fall ill. You know, I get sick very easily and–“

“I get it, I get it. You’re not here because of me”, Togami giggled slightly and turned around to clear the brewers. Makoto couldn’t help but wonder if the blonde boy would actually want Makoto’s reason to be that he just wanted to see him. Would that be possible? But Makoto didn’t want to lie, because the rain wasn’t an excuse; it was the real deal. However, the slight possibility of Togami being interested in Makoto kept nagging him more than he would’ve liked to admit.

As he was cleaning the machines at the back, Togami spoke up again. “So, Naegi, what would you like to drink on this fine morning?”

“I assume that whatever I decide to order, you’ll change it up anyway”, Makoto humored the other boy as he leaned against the counter. Togami scoffed playfully and turned to face the brunette.

“Well, obviously, but you still need to make the order so that I can charge you. Remember: I only decide on what you will be _drinking_ , not what you will be _paying_ for.” There was a sly smile playing on the barista’s lips as he bent down a little to make an intense eye contact with Makoto. While Togami was staring into Makoto’s eyes, the latter felt slightly light-headed. There was something fundamentally mesmerizing about the blonde’s eyes and the way the glasses framed them. It wasn’t just the color; it was also the slight feeling Makoto got from them that Togami could somehow see right through his soul into the core of his being. Those kinds of gazes could be very intimidating, but this one wasn’t. Maybe, if Makoto had met the blonde earlier in his life, it would have been. Somehow, that thought process led the brunette to thinking about the conversation he’d had with the other boy the day before. He’d be sure to ask about Togami’s father later on.

“Earth to Naegi!”

Apparently, Makoto had been zoning out for quite a while. Togami was looking at him with an amused expression on his face. Makoto blushed a little and tried to look as composed as possible.

“Ah, s-sorry, it’s just that I’m a little tired”, he said while rubbing the back of his neck. He tended to do that every time he got embarrassed.

Togami laughed a little and patted Makoto’s head. “It’s okay, darling.”

_There he goes with the nicknames!_

“I’m still waiting for your offer, though”, the barista said and moved his gaze from Makoto’s eyes to his lips just for a second and then back. Makoto wasn’t sure if he’d seen right, but for some reason he hoped that he wasn’t mistaken.

“Oh, right!” Makoto said and turned to look at the menu on the screen above his head. He wanted something sweet and warm. “Could I have a Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino, size Grande, please?” he finally said after finding something he would like. Although, he knew at this point that the gorgeous barista would make him something entirely different. Playing according to the other’s rules was fun, though, so what the hell.

“You don’t need to be so formal, Naegi. At this point it’s safe to say our relationship has changed into something more complicated than just customer–barista relationship”, Togami said and winked at Makoto all of a sudden. The brunette blushed very visibly and felt his mouth dry out.

_W-what??_

“Uhm… W-what do you mean, Togami-kun?” he managed to ask even with his throat dry as sandpaper. Togami laughed and turned around to prepare Makoto’s drink. As he was mixing the base of the drink, he answered: “What I mean is that you cannot lie with your eyes. You can say whatever you want, but your eyes always tell the truth. That’s just the way it is. Even though you’re always repeating that the reason you’re coming here this frequently is because of the rain, I can see the way you look at me. Besides, you always stay here longer than needed.”

Makoto brought one of his hands to cover his mouth in surprise. He didn’t know the other boy had been able to read him that well all this time. He himself hadn’t even noticed the things Togami had just explained. How fucking oblivious could he be??

“U-uhh… I don’t– I don’t know what to say, honestly”, Makoto answered clumsily. He seriously didn’t have any idea what to say to Togami. He hadn’t been aware of his own actions and their true meanings, so it was practically impossible for him to comment on the accuracy of Togami’s observations.

“It’s okay, sweetie”, the blonde answered, turned around and offered Makoto one of the sweetest smiles in existence. Then, he passed the finished drink to the other boy.

“Here you go. Card payment?” Makoto nodded and offered his credit card to Togami. After the payment, Makoto took a look at the drink in front of him. “What did you make me this time?”

Togami smiled a little. “Well, I got some kind of hunch and thought that maybe you wanted something warm, sweet and cozy-feeling.”

_How did he figure that out?_

“So, I made you a Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino, size Venti”, Togami said and adjusted his eyeglasses ever so slightly and elegantly. Makoto wasn’t sure what to stare; the delicious-looking drink in front of him, or the other snack behind the bench.

_Snack?? Cut the gay crap, Naegi!_

Makoto took a sip of the drink and instantly fell in love with the flavor of it. It was like designed to tickle Makoto’s taste buds exactly in the right way. Togami saw the surprised look on the brunette’s face and chuckled.

“Don’t be so surprised! Like I told you earlier, I just know this stuff”, he said and turned around once again to clean the coffee machines. Togami was such a diligent worker, and Makoto admired it very much. He hoped that he could someday be as motivated to work for his studies as Togami worked for the coffee shop.

They were silent for a while. Makoto was drinking his delicious coffee and Togami was wiping the counter once again. As Makoto was mindlessly sipping on the coffee, his eyes fell on the blonde boy’s hair that framed his beautiful face in a way Makoto couldn’t even begin to describe. He briefly wondered how soft that hair would feel under his touch. From that thought he went forward and imagined the feeling of having Togami rest his head on Makoto’s shoulder and his hair tickling Makoto’s neck. But Makoto didn’t leave the daydream there; he went on to think about Togami’s lips that were formed into a smile very often. He wondered how good it would feel to kiss them, to feel them move under his mouth, to suck on the bottom one a little, maybe even bite down a bit…

“Naegi?”

Togami had lifted his head and was now staring at Makoto, who had, without realizing it, been gaping at the barista for several minutes. Makoto was blushing right to the tips of his ears. He tried to say something, but nothing would come out of his useless mouth.

“Naegi, are you…?” Togami began but didn’t finish his sentence. Instead, his gaze traveled down Makoto’s face and landed on the brunette’s lips. Togami’s expression suddenly shifted into a softer one, and he began leaning toward Makoto over the counter. Slowly, their faces inched closer and closer to one another. They were mere centimeters away from each other, when Togami suddenly stopped.

“I was supposed to tell you about my father, wasn’t I?!” he almost yelled at the sudden realization. Makoto got startled a little and gasped audibly. He then nodded.

_Were we really about to… kiss…?_

“Okay, so to put it simply”, Togami began explaining and clearly avoided looking at Makoto in the eyes, “my father is the head of this huge corporation that I was supposed to lead after him. I had to fight with my siblings in order to earn the place of the heir. I, the youngest one, won, of course. At the time I was about 17 years old. As I got older, I started thinking of what I really want to do, what kind of dreams I have for my life. And then it struck me: being a leader of a big business is not what I want to do at all. Despite my upbringing, I started to value other people and the good deeds they did for me. So, I wanted to be one of those people who would bring a smile to a stranger’s face, just because it would make their day a little bit better. I guess you could say that was because I myself never got that kind of attention from my father, that kind of love. So, I wanted to make it up to myself as well and be nice to others. That way, I could learn what it is to care about others, firsthand.”

There was a slight blush across Togami’s pale cheeks as he just stared down at the bench. He clearly couldn’t bring himself to look at the brunette in front of him.

Makoto was stunned. He looked at Togami whose face was covered by golden locks of hair.

_This boy has been through so much._

Makoto reached his right hand and cupped Togami’s cheek with it. The barista finally made eye contact with the other boy who saw tears glistening in his eyes.

“Togami-kun, I–“, Makoto began as he rubbed his thumb along Togami’s jaw line, “I’m sorry.” His voice was barely a whisper. The blonde boy smiled at him, took his hand into his own and placed it slowly on the shining counter.

“Don’t be, Naegi. It’s all right now. I have a job I love more than everything, and as it turns out, I have recently met someone who makes me happier than I’ve ever been”, Togami said while looking at Makoto deep in his eyes. Makoto felt his heart pick up its pace as the realization hit him suddenly. As the two of them shared an intimate eye contact, the brunette wondered if he should do something, make a move, perhaps. However, he found he was unable to do anything else than look into Togami’s mesmerizing blue eyes that he could’ve just drowned into.

Then, all of a sudden, the door to the coffee shop was opened, and the spell was broken.

“Hello there! May I help you?” Togami greeted the new customer warmly and left Makoto there, flustered and feeling as if his heart might have jumped out of his chest. As Togami was serving the customer in front of him, he was silently stealing glances at Makoto, who was still sipping on his coffee. The electricity between them hadn’t disappeared. Makoto checked the time on his watch and gasped audibly.

“Uhh, I have to go now, Togami-kun! My lecture is about to start. Thanks for the coffee!” Makoto said while getting up from the chair. Togami looked at him with a slightly disappointed look on his face. He didn’t say goodbye.

Makoto was just about to open the door, when Togami ran to him from the bench and took a hold of his arm once again. Much like the last time, Makoto was amazed by how tall the boy actually was. Suddenly, Togami leaned down a little, just so that he could be on Makoto’s level. The brunette was taken aback a little by this, but he would have been lying if he’d said that having the tall boy leaning toward him was somehow unpleasant.

Togami’s hold on Makoto’s arm was tightening a little as he brought his lips to Makoto’s ear and whispered: “Please, come back here later today. I want to make you a special kind of coffee, Naegi-chan.”

_Naegi-chan??_

Makoto’s breath got stuck in his throat. He couldn’t say anything, he only stared at the gorgeous boy in front of him. Togami’s look was kind of desperate, almost longing.

“Please, Naegi-chan. Come here after your lectures.”

Togami’s lips were almost touching Makoto’s ear at this point. His left knee was placed between Makoto’s legs. The shorter boy inhaled sharply at the sensation and willed himself to stop concentrating on the fact that Togami was literally pressed up against him.

_Say something, dumbass!_

“O-okay, I will. I will come here in the afternoon, Togami-kun.”

“Good. I will be waiting for you, sweetheart”, Togami whispered into Makoto’s ear. The brunette felt chills travel down his spine at the sound.

_Jesus Christ, you’re driving me insane._

“Ah– O-okay. See you then”, Makoto said and slipped out of Togami’s grip. He opened the door and took a final look at the barista who had a very questionable look in his eyes. Makoto couldn’t help but wonder what the other boy had in his mind. He closed the door to the Starbucks and stepped into the rain once again. He was already late from the first lecture.

* * *

Makoto’s head was empty the whole day – apart from one very specific thought.

_Why did Togami-kun want me to come back later so badly?_

Things had taken quite the turn that day between the two of them, and Makoto couldn’t help but wonder if that was somehow related to the blonde’s request. Maybe, just maybe, he had a chance.

Yes, on one of the lectures Makoto had finally come to terms with it: he had been crushing on Togami the whole time and was now hopelessly in love with him. How was that even possible, who the fuck knows, but that’s what had happened anyway. The tall barista was occupying Makoto’s thoughts all the time, despite the time and place, he was always there. With his gorgeous blonde hair, blue eyes, white-framed glasses, tall and slim body, the most radiant smile in the whole existence… Yeah, Makoto was in love.

Pretty much everything that was being talked about on the day’s lectures went right past Makoto’s ears. He just couldn’t be bothered to concentrate. He thanked himself for picking the courses so that the final days of the week were the easiest ones. There was only an hour left of the lectures, and then he was free to go.

_Free to run to Togami-kun’s arms._

* * *

The clock struck 3 pm, and Makoto Naegi was running through the corridors of his college to the big lobby. He could still hear the soft drumming of the rain against the roof. The forecast had been right. He stopped by the rack in the lobby and packed his books and laptop to his back bag and stormed out of the building. By the time he had reached the border of the campus, he was already soaking wet. He was sure he’d be ill the next week, but now he didn’t have time to worry about the exams he’d probably be failing. He needed to get to the Starbucks.

Makoto almost got hit by a bus on the way to the coffee shop. He ran and ran, not giving a single fuck about the traffic. His heart kept telling him that whatever was waiting for him in his destination, it would probably change his life. He hadn’t felt that kind of excitement in years. With a boring and average life as his, this sudden encounter with a boy who’d already stolen Makoto’s heart was something he hadn’t known he’d needed so much. For the first time in a while, Makoto actually felt like he was living.

With these clichés in his mind, the brunette suddenly realized that he’d arrived at the Starbucks. The familiar door was right in front of him, and he was sure he looked absolutely horrible. After desperately trying to fix his mess of hair, Makoto opened the door.

The coffee shop was empty.

Confused, Makoto took a look at the clock on the wall. 3.15 pm. At this hour the place was supposed to be filled with students and young adults. But right now, there was literally no one. Except _him_.

“Glad to see you could make it, Naegi.”

Togami was standing behind the barista bench like always, cleaning cups and smiling at Makoto. The expression on the boy’s face was somehow different; it was as if he was trying to make Makoto understand something important just from the look of his gaze. Makoto swallowed slightly and smiled back at Togami.

“Of course. You invited me here, after all.”

Togami gestured for the brunette to come sit in front of him and said: “Yes, I did. In fact, you’re the only one that’s allowed to come here right now.” Makoto sat down and the chair and looked surprised. The other boy chuckled a little and glanced around.

“Are you telling me that you didn’t notice how empty this place is at this hour?”

Makoto felt himself blush for probably the millionth time in front of Togami. “N-no, of course I noticed! I just didn’t think much of it.” Togami sighed and took a long look at Makoto before turning around to clean the machines.

“Just like I expected. It’s okay, though. You see, the reason why this place is so empty right now is that we’re not open today anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that we’re closed for literally everybody else except you. Private occasion, you know”, Togami answered, turned around and smiled gently. Makoto’s mouth fell open.

_This boy is incredible._

“Y-you seriously went through all this trouble just for me?”

“Of course I did, love”, Togami said, winked at Makoto and went back to cleaning the machines. Makoto’s blush was intensifying by the minute.

“W-what did your boss say?”

“He was very supportive, since this was his idea anyway.”

“Wait– WHAT?!”

Togami started laughing like crazy. He almost dropped something from the bench as he was trying to support himself. Makoto was dumbfounded. The blonde boy was literally the boss of this whole place??

“I–I’m sorry, I didn’t know”, Makoto tried to explain, but Togami was still laughing. Finally, the blonde got silent and wiped the tears from his eyes. He waved his hand to Makoto.

“It’s okay, Naegi-chan. Of course you couldn’t have known. Your face and reaction, though… Hah, I’ve never seen something so funny!” Makoto was growing more and more embarrassed. He hoped Togami didn’t think any less of him because of this.

“A-anyway, I’m glad you didn’t get in any sort of trouble for arranging this”, he eventually said and smiled up at the taller boy. Togami looked very pleased.

“It’s nothing, really. I wanted to make this afternoon a bit more special for you”, the blonde boy beamed at Makoto and gestured toward the screen. “What do you want to drink this time?”

Even though Makoto knew Togami would make him something entirely different, he pondered about his order for a good while. Eventually, he picked the Strawberry Frappuccino, size Grande. Makoto did have a soft spot for sweets and strawberries, but he was sure he couldn’t down a drink of that sort any bigger than Grande. The barista nodded and began swiftly mixing the drink for Makoto. As he was working, Togami spoke up once again.

“So, about that rather peculiar incident that happened earlier today…”

Just as Makoto had been able to calm himself down, he felt his heart picking up its pace once again. What would the other boy say about that thing that almost happened? Was he going to say how much he regretted it? Makoto swore he hadn’t been this stressed in months.

“I wish we’d gone for it.”

_Uh– What??_

Togami was mixing the drink in his elegant hands as he looked at Makoto with a soft look in his eyes. “I couldn’t stop thinking about that the whole day. It just kept coming to me. Funny, isn’t it? We’ve just met, and here I am, talking about wanting to kiss you and not being able to, heh.”

“U-uhh… T-Togami-kun, I–“

“It’s okay, Naegi-chan. You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted to let you know that”, Togami interrupted Makoto and turned around to finish the drink. Makoto could hear his own heartbeat in his ears. His palms were slick with sweat, and he was sure his face was as red as a fucking beet. Fumbling with his fingers, Makoto thought about the blonde boy’s words.

_He wished we had done it. Oh my god. That must mean– That must mean that he–_

“Here’s your drink, sweetie”, Togami suddenly said and passed the enormous cup to Makoto, who was more surprised than ever. He gave the boy his credit card and inspected the drink closely.

“What is this?” he asked dumbly. Togami chuckled and leaned toward the bench.

“It’s a Double Chocolaty Chip Crème Frappuccino, size Venti. I thought you’d probably like something filled with flavor – and sweet flavor, at that.”

_He’s unbelievable._

Makoto was just about to take a sip of the drink, when Togami suddenly interrupted him. He pulled the cup away from the brunette and smirked.

“Oh, and there was something else in the order that I changed up.”

Makoto lifted his eyebrows in question. “What is that?”

“It’s not on the check, that’s why I didn’t give it to you this time. In addition to this drink, I’m also giving you something else.”

Makoto’s heart was already skipping beats. “Huh?”

Togami just smiled at the boy. He took his green apron off, walked away from the bench to the other side and stopped right in front of the shorter boy. “Here: one kiss from me.”

Then, without any further ado, Togami leaned toward Makoto and kissed the brunette tenderly. He looped his arms around Makoto’s small torso, and the latter had to get up from the chair at this point. Togami pulled the shorter boy toward himself and began sucking lightly on Makoto’s lower lip. A tiny sigh escaped from Makoto. His head felt clouded, he couldn’t think, but the feeling of Togami moving his lips against Makoto’s own was more than enough for him. Slowly, he began answering to the kiss and moved his hands up the taller boy’s back. He opened his mouth, stuck his tongue out and hoped that Togami would let him in. Gladly, the blonde obliged and started licking Makoto’s tongue with his own. Makoto moaned slightly at the feeling.

_Oh my god, Togami-kun, what are you doing to me?_

The kiss was wet, passionate but gentle at the same time. Togami nibbled at Makoto’s lower lip, and the brunette sighed loudly. He was lost in the feeling of having the gorgeous barista kissing him, holding him there tightly, caressing his face with his beautiful hands. It was the best and most amazing kiss Makoto had ever felt. It made him feel whole, like this was what had been missing from his life this whole time. Like somehow, his lips were meant to be on Togami’s. The two of them completed each other like puzzle pieces. It was beautiful and everything Makoto had ever wanted.

Then, they broke apart to breathe properly. Panting, they stared at each other in the eyes. There was a small smile playing on Togami’s lips, and Makoto was blushing very heavily. The taller boy petted the brunette’s messy hair gently.

“How’d you like it?” he asked Makoto suddenly.

“It was perfect”, the other sighed and didn’t break the eye contact they shared. Togami smiled properly now and stroked Makoto’s cheek with his thumb.

“Then would you mind if I kissed you again?”

“Of course not, you fool.”

So, much like a pair of magnets, the two of them were pulled into another heart-warming kiss. Makoto looped his arms around Togami’s neck while the latter laced his fingers through Makoto’s messy brown hair. Togami kissed Makoto’s lower lip, then upper lip, left corner, right corner, lower lip again and nibbled on it slightly. He poked his tongue out of his mouth and licked the brunette’s lips. Makoto made a sound that told Togami to just go with it, and so he pushed his tongue into the other boy’s mouth once again. Licking, sucking, nibbling, biting… Like that they continued to make out in the silent coffee shop with no one else around. At one point they had lowered down on the floor, and now Makoto was sitting on Togami’s lap as the latter was leaning against the barista bench. They were both growing pretty breathless, but something kept them going. They couldn’t get enough of the feeling, of each other.

_Oh my god, I’m seriously in love with him. This is ridiculous._

Finally, they had to break free, otherwise there would’ve been some kind of complications. Short of breath, flushed faces, wrinkled clothes. Makoto stared at Togami right into his eyes and swore to himself he’d never let the other boy go.

“Togami-kun, I think I’m–“

“Don’t say it. Not yet, sweetie”, Togami interrupted him and pecked him on the cheek. Then, he pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to Makoto.

“I think you should have my phone number first. After that, we can see where things can go for us.” There was a genuine smile on the blonde’s lips. Makoto felt his heart swell with affection.

“So, does that mean that we are–?”

“Dating? A couple? Of course, honey. I think we’ve already been from pretty much the moment we met.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“You sure like asking that question”, Togami laughed a little. “What I mean is that you cannot possibly look at someone like the way you kept looking at me when you’re not practically in love with them.”

“A-ah, I didn’t know–“

“You don’t know a lot of things, Naegi-chan, but that’s okay. You sure are lucky, though, since your newly-found boyfriend is pretty damn smart and can teach you a lot of things.”

Yeah, Makoto Naegi had always been quite lucky. But, as he was leaning against Byakuya Togami’s chest, he thought to himself that he’d never in his entire life been this lucky – and would never be again.

**Author's Note:**

> the ending is bad, i know :(
> 
> but thank you for reading one of my works! <3 please, leave a kudos or a comment if you enjoyed it! hope to see you soon when i'm done with the next chapter of the multichapter fic!


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